How to Rid Your Computer of Temporary Files

Steps

1. Open up notepad. The easy way to do this is by holding down the Windows key (between the Ctrl and Alt keys on most computers) and then hit R. Type in notepad.exe and then hit Enter.
2. Paste in each snippit of code into notepad, and then save that file with the extension .bat. For example, to delete the cookies stored on your computer, copy and paste the following into notepad:
3. • @echo off
   • del /s /q "%userprofile%\cookies\*.*"
4. Click File, then Save As..., choose where you want it saved (like the desktop), then type in deletecookies.bat and click Save.
5. Do the same for the following files:
6. • deleteprefetch.bat:
     • @echo off
     • del /f /q %windir%\Prefetch\*.*
   • deletetemp.bat:
     • @echo off
     • del /f /q %windir%\Temp\*.*
     • del /f /q "%userprofile%\local settings\temp\*.*"
     • del /f /q "%userprofile%\local settings\temporary internet files\*.*"
7. There are many software programs available that will remove temp files for you, but most of them are either useless (free) or you have to pay for them. These little programs will allow you to remove the files that clutter your hard drive, and they are free.
8. To run these files, just double-click on the icon on the desktop (or wherever you saved them). You'll see a little black box pop up, and quickly disappear when it's finished running the code.

Tips

• The @echo off line just repressing the output of the code.
• There are many websites with helpful info on batch files, how to write them, and what the commands do.
• The temp and cookies files can be used as often as everyday, but deleting the prefetch too often can cause undesirable results. It is recommended that you only use the deleteprefetch.bat file once a month.
• To automatically delete temporary internet files in IE6, goto: Tools - Internet Options - Advanced - scroll to the bottom and select "Empty Temporary Internet files when browser is closed."

Warnings

• These code snippets may not work for 9x systems, and only for NT based (2000 and XP).
• Batch files can be very powerful. It is possible to write a batch file that will delete most of your Windows directory, rendering your computer un-bootable. If copied correctly, this will not happen.
  • • USE BATCH FILES AT YOUR OWN RISK**

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